Opinion
21 Nov 24

International Criminal Court issues arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Hamas leader

This comes after ICC prosecutor Karim Khan announced that he would be seeking arrest warrants back in May, for crimes connected to the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas

Judges at the ICC in the Netherlands have officially issued arrest warrants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief, as well as Ibrahim Al-Masri, for crimes against humanity including war crimes.

The ICC has said that Israel's acceptance of the court's decision is not required, as Israel has denied the war crimes in Gaza and rejected the court's jurisdiction.

Naftali Bennett, Israel's former prime minister said that the ICC's decision was a "mark of shame" for the court.

In a statement released by the ICC, they said orders had been issued on charges of “crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024, the day the Prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest.”

The ICC’s arrest warrants are long overdue.

The Prime Minister & Foreign Secretary must immediately endorse this decision. That is the bare minimum.

Will the UK government now, finally, honour its international obligations to prevent genocide and end all arms sales to Israel?

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) November 21, 2024

“The Chamber decided to release the information below since conduct similar to that addressed in the warrant of arrest appears to be ongoing. Moreover, the Chamber considers it to be in the interest of victims and their families that they are made aware of the warrants’ existence,” said the ICC.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog labeled the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant a "dark day for humanity," saying universal justice has become a "universal laughing stock."

Herzog said in an X statement, “It makes a mockery of the sacrifice of all those who fight for justice – from the Allied victory over the Nazis till today.”

Tánaiste Micheál Martin released a neutral statement in response to the ICC decision,“Ireland is a strong supporter of the ICC and calls on all States to respect its independence and impartiality, with no attempts made to undermine the court,” he said.